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E. W. VAILL, OF WORCESTER, -MASSACHUSETTS Letters Patent No. 83,744, dated November 3, V18684.

IMPROVED FOLDING CHAIR.

The Schedule refened to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

. back standards and of the seat being removed.

Figure 3 is a detached view, showing one mode of attaching the iexible back.

Figure 4 is another detached view, showing the com* mon mode by which I fasten the flexible back to the rear edge of the seat.

This invention is an improvement upon a chair pat- ,ented by David Howarth, -April 16, 1867, No. 63,897,

and consists in attaching to his chair aV flexible back and an upholstered seat, and ina slightly different arrangement of the short legs and seat, whereby a more beautiful and salable chair is produced than that heretofore manufactured under said patent.

f .In the drawings, A A represent the legs whichform the back standards, and B B the short legs, the front and rear legs being pivoted upon a short pin or bolt, c. The upper ends of the back standards are united by a curved cross-bar, the form of which may be seen in fig. l. rlhe seat is shown at C, and is supported by two pivots, c c, connecting it with the short legs, and by two pins, m m, which slide in slots, n n, on the inner side ofthe back standards. A

So far' the chair operatesV like the Howarth chair, except that the short legs are outside of thelong ones, andthe seat is jointed to them at its side, at some distance behindits front edge,instead of being attached at its front edge.

These two variations from the' old form are both improvements inthe construction of the chair, adapting it more particularly to the 'employment of the flexible back and seat, and rendering it more comfortable to sit in, less liable to upset, and more neat and handsome in appearance. v

The seat is stuffed and upholstered, and a flexible upholstered back, I), is rigidly attached to the back standards,l down about as far as the point s, from which point to its lower end .it is not attached to the standards. Its lower end may be buttoned to the seat, around the rear edge of the latter, as seen in fig. 2.

Fig. 4 represents a mode of forming the eyelets or button-holes when this construction is employed, and lig. 3 represents a mode, which may be employed, of Constructing the body or frame of the seat, to which the back is thus buttoned, the back being attached to the jointed plate I, under the seat, instead of to the rear edge of the seat itself; or a rigid curved rod may be used, jointed at its ends to the seat. The top of the short leg's may be connected to the back standards by flexible straps, O O, for the purpose of giving firmness and strength to the chair, and of forming a comfortable rest for the arms.

The chair thus constructed, folds up neatly, in the same manner as the Howarth chair, the flexible back adapting itself readily tothe changes in the position of the several parts. The chair has all the advantages of the Howarth chair, with the additional advantages of having the front edge ofthe seat projecting clear of all incumbrauces; of having the flexible back, which enables the occupant to set more uprightly, and there.

fore more comfortably, and which also adapts itself to the conformation of the occupants back, so as better to support and give rest to him; of having the flexible straps or arms, and of presenting a neater and handsomer appearance, making a beautiful chair for the parlor or drawing-room, while the .Howarth chair is simply a plain wooden chair, fit only for common and cheaper uses.

Having thus described my invention,

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The improvement in the Howarth chair, consisting essentiallyin placing the legs B B outside of the legs A A, and pivoting them to the sides of the seatframe, which is provided at its rear end with pins, adapted to slide in grooves in the legs A A, in closing the chair, substantially as shown and described.

2. A chair, constructed of the legs A A, B B, pivoted upon short pins or bolts e e, the stuffed upholstered seat C, jointed to the legs B B by means of short pivots, c c, behind the front edge of the seat, and connected with the legs A A by a pin working in a slot or groove, the upholstered back D, and the flexible arms O O, the Whole being constructed and operating substantially as and for the purpose above set forth.

To the above specification' of my improvement, I have set my hand, thisl 30th day of September, 1868.

E. W. VAILL. Witnesses:

Gao. MCALEER, WILLIAM MCOLEERY. 

